Ianthi Maria Tsimpli

The Interpretability Hypothesis: evidence from wh-interrogatives in second language acquisition

The second language acquisition (SLA) literature reports numerous studies of proficient second language (L2) speakers who diverge significantly from native speakers despite the evidence offered by the L2 input. Recent SLA theories have attempted to account for native speaker/non-native speaker (NS/NNS) divergence by arguing for the dissociation between syntactic knowledge and morpho(pho)nology. In particular, Lardiere (1998), Prévost and White (2000), and Goad and White (2004) claim that highly proficient learners have knowledge of the abstract syntactic properties of the language but occasionally fail to associate them with the correct morphological or phonological forms. On the other hand, theories that support partial availability of Universal Grammar (UG) (Tsimpli and Roussou 1991; Hawkins and Chan, 1997) argue for a problem in the syntax: while UG principles and operations are available in SLA, the formal features of the target language that are not instantiated in the L1 or have a different setting, cause learnability problems. This article discusses acquisitional data in the light of the Interpretability Hypothesis (Tsimpli and Mastropavlou, 2007), which is a reformulation of the SLA theory suggested by Tsimpli and Roussou (1991) in minimalist terms. It is argued that a minimalist approach to SLA can be implemented to specify the status of the features that are least accessible to re-setting in the SLA process, given (1) constraints on their learnability and (2), their setting in the L1 grammar. The phenomenon discussed concerns the use of the resumptive strategy in wh- subject and object extraction by intermediate and advanced Greek learners of English. It is proposed that the acceptability rate of pronouns in the extraction site is conditioned by the Logical Form (LF) interpretability of the features involved in the derivation. Hence, the interpretable features of animacy and discourse-linking are hypothesized to be involved in the analysis of English pronouns by Greek L2 learners, while the first language (L1) specification of resumptive pronouns as clusters of uninterpretable Case and Agreement features resists resetting.

Linguistic modularity? A case study of a 'Savant' linguist*

Abstract We provide a preliminary report on a young man who is institutionalised because he is unable to look after himself, but who has a remarkable talent for acquiring and using foreign languages. After documenting the breadth of his expertise across some sixteen languages, we investigate his command of his native language, English, and the extent to which his linguistic competence is integrated into his general cognitive ability, and we briefly discuss the implications of these results for Fodors modularity hypothesis. The results of the experiments devised to test these aspects of his linguistic and inferential abilities then provide the basis for a more detailed analysis of his command of one specific language, Modern Greek. We concentrate on properties associated with the pro-drop parameter, in particular that-t effects and the possibility of post-verbal subjects, contrasting his performance in Greek, a pro-drop language, with English, a non-pro-drop language. The pattern of results obtained indicate that he is not acquiring a ‘first’ language several times over, but it remains for future investigation to determine how characteristic of normal second-language learners his acquisition is. We also tentatively interpret his performance in Greek as evidence in favour of the claim that the phenomena associated with the pro-drop parameter do constitute a natural class, and specifically provide support for Rizzis revision of the parameter in terms of relativised minimality. We emphasize that these results are preliminary and hope to refine and extend our analyses in subsequent contributions.

The effects of a morphosyntactic deficit in the determiner system: The case of a Greek SLI child

Abstract This paper presents a case-study of Greek SLI and has the following aims: 1. (i) to present and analyse SLI data concentrating on the use of D-elements in the childs grammatical system: the definite article, object clitics and the wh-phrase what; 2. (ii) to show that there is a clear correlation in the errors involving the morphemes in question and that this is due to a deficit in the determiner system which, in adult form, represents the above morphemes in terms of the same functional category D; 3. (iii) to provide further evidence for the delay in L1 development of object clitics (or agreement) relative to subject agreement (or clitics) showing that a similar pattern is attested in the case of this SLI child. Finally, the analysis presented appears to favour an account of SLI whereby the deficit evidenced by the use of grammatical categories is indeed a grammatical, rather than a processing, deficit and is restricted to the domain of functional categories. The differential success in this childs use of some functional categories (e.g. subject agreement vs. the determiner system) points to the suggestion that SLI involves aspects of the normal route of L1A but also severe delays compared to normal L1A. The question whether the attested delay indicates a selective deficit in the processing strategies and learning mechanisms implemented in SLI cases cannot be unreservedly concluded on the basis of the data from this study only.

LF-interpretability and language development: a study of verbal and nominal features in Greek normally developing and SLI children.

This paper includes (i) a comparison of the developmental pattern of certain morphosyntactic features in normally developing (ND) Greek children with similar data from a group of children with specific language impairment and (ii) a new analysis of the differences found. The analysis is based on a minimalist notion of LF interpretability. Depending on the feature-specification of lexical items (i.e., [+/- interpretable] at LF), a different route of development follows. In addition, phonological salience of both interpretable and noninterpretable features is argued to play an important role in an account of crosslinguistic differences in both normal and exceptional development.

Learning the impossible: The acquisition of possible and impossible languages by a polyglot savant

Abstract We report on the case of a polyglot savant (Christopher) who has a remarkable talent for learning and translating languages. Building on previous work which had established both the range of languages at Christophers command and the extent to which his linguistic knowledge was integrated into his cognitive ability, we taught him two new languages for which we controlled the input. We had two main aims: the first was to test the hypothesis (within one version of the Principles and Parameters framework) that parameter resetting is not an option available to the second language learner; the second was to accrue further evidence for or against Fodors modularity hypothesis and cast light on the possible range of interactions between linguistic and ‘central’ cognitive processes. The languages chosen were Berber, an Afro-Asiatic language spoken in North Africa, and Epun, an invented language deliberately devised to contain constructions which violated universal grammatical principles. In Christophers acquisition of Berber we gleaned evidence from a variety of phenomena, including word order, null subjects, that -trace effects, wh-island violations and cliticisation, that his learning was conditioned by a combination of transfer effects from English and principles of UG, rather than by the effect of parameter resetting. In Christophers acquisition of Epun we began with a core of ‘normal’ constructions, designed to make him feel at home in the new language, and then proceeded to investigate a range of impossible constructions, both structure-dependent and structure-independent. In the former case, we concentrated on negative sentences, constructed with no overt negative morpheme, and past-tense sentences which involve unattested and putatively impossible word-order differences. In the latter case, we concentrated on a rule of emphasis that involved counting words, and a form of agreement which again violated putatively universal generalisations. In each case we compared Christophers performance with that of a small group of controls. The results were complex, but we think we can justify an interpretation which lends support to both the main hypotheses being tested.

Neuropsychology and linguistic talent

Abstract We report on the unique case of a polyglot savant who is institutionalised because he is unable to look after himself, but who has knowledge of some fifteen to twenty languages. We provide details of his medical and psychometric background and then document his linguistic ability in detail. We argue that the case provides evidence for Fodors modularity hypothesis (though with some quasimodular structure needing to be attributed to the central system) and for the linguistic distinction between a functional and a conceptual lexicon. We also report on the results of an MRI scan carried out on the subject. While these may reveal some abnormalities of the cerebellum, there is no differential cortical development which could underlie his linguistic ability. We conclude that, while pathological studies are making our understanding of the links between the neural and the linguistic ever clearer, we are still largely ignorant of the nature of those links in cases of normal or enhanced ability.

On Greek VSO again

In the present paper we provide an account of VSO in Greek and its (relative) absence in Italian, despite the fact that both languages allow for postverbal subjects. We argue that this parametric difference reduces to different lexicalisation options regarding the D-system of the two grammars. We assume that the clause structure divides into three basic domains (V, T, and C), and that nominal (clitic) positions are available in each of these domains, which, as we argue, can be lexicalised not only by clitics but also by full DPs. On this basis, we argue that the subject and object DP in Greek can appear in the same domain (V), as they spell out different features depending on their grammatical function, while this is not so in Italian, given that DPs spell out the same set of features irrespective of their grammatical function. This basic difference is responsible for the presence of VSO in Greek but not in Italian. We also consider the implications of our approach for the interpretation of subjects and arguments in general.

Null Operators, Clitics and Identification: A Comparison between Greek and English

The aim of this article is to discuss the properties of English and Greek constructions involving null and overt operators. Assuming that operator-variable structures are LF objects, differences in the overt/null realisation of the operator and/or the element in the position of the variable between the two languages will be argued to stem from independent differences in the properties of the Case and the Agreement systems. The underlying motivation for this correlation between Case and Agreement, on one hand, and the properties of A’-chains, on the other, is claimed to be the identification requirement on A’-bound empty categories.

Variation in Second Language Acquisition

Variation in the linguistic performance of the L2 speaker is attested even at advanced stages of acquisition. Recent research on L2 variation has offered alternative views on the underlying cause: incomplete construction and representation of the L2 grammar, or L1 effects at the level where grammar and discourse, or grammar and phonetic realization, interface. Furthermore, variation may result from the conflict between the grammar and the parser in the L2 speaker. Assuming that the parser is responsible for combining interface resources, i.e., syntax/discourse, but also syntax/morphology and phonology, effects of L1 parsing can lead to variation in L2 language use.

Narrative production in monolingual and bilingual children with specific language impairment

The aim of this study was to identify potential clinical markers of specific language impairment (SLI) in bilingual children with SLI by using the Greek version of the Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narratives. Twenty-one Greek-speaking monolingual and 15 bilingual children with SLI participated, along with monolingual (N = 21) and bilingual (N = 15) age-matched children with typical development. Results showed differences between typically development children and children with SLI in microstructure, while bilingual children with SLI were found to attain similar levels of performance, and even to outperform monolingual children with SLI, in macrostructure. It is suggested that the retelling coding scheme could permit differential diagnosis of SLI among bilingual children within the scope of narrative assessment.